CAS decision opens London 2012 door for Millar

By VeloNews.com

Published Apr. 30, 2012

Updated Oct. 30, 2014 at 10:09 AM EST

David Millar and Mark Cavendish on stage one of the 2012 Tour of Oman.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday ruled in favor of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s repeal of the British Olympic Association’s lifetime ban on athletes found guilty of doping offenses. The decision most notably allows for the selection by Great Britain of David Millar (Garmin-Barracuda) to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The CAS decision opens the door for Millar’s selection to the London Games, which open in late July. The Scot, who captained the British squad for Mark Cavendish’s world championship win last fall, has not commented on the decision. Millar is arguably the highest-profile British athlete impacted by the ruling. The BOA policy banning convicted dopers from Olympics selection haunted Millar since his EPO ban in 2004.

Millar’s sister and former spokesperson, Fran, who currently works with Team Sky, said on Twitter Monday that she would not comment for him:

“I don’t speak on behalf of @millarmind He is my brother not my client. The only thing I have to say is I am incredibly proud of him.”

The CAS panel of Professor Richard H. McLaren (Canada), Professor David W. Rivkin (USA) and Michele Bernasconi (Switzerland) determined that the BOA policy was not in agreement with WADA code. In its decision, the panel stated that, “The Bye-Law is a doping sanction and is therefore not in compliance with the WADA Code. The CAS confirms the view of the WADA Foundation Board as indicated in its Decision. Therefore, the appeal of BOA is rejected, and the Decision of the WADA Foundation Board is confirmed.”